The Hunted
by CaptainSparrow09
Summary: After the Tower, Miles and Nora decide a quieter life would be best but are unaware of the threat looming close by. In the midst of their transition, they reflect on their final year in the Republic.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own anyone you do not recognize. Everyone else belongs to Kripke.

A/N: This is a continuation of my previous A/U story 'The Unexpected.' I strongly urge you to go read that before diving into this because you need to know the story line as this starts right where the other left off.

* * *

**November 2019- Seven Years After the Blackout**

The sound of glass breaking, followed by a low, irritated voice caught Nora's attention immediately. She reached for the knife resting on the desk next to her and stood up, trying to make as little noise as possible. As she rounded the corner into the hallway, she scowled, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Mia jumped, nearly hitting her head on the shelf behind her, and turned to face her sister. She had left two hours earlier for school, looking prim and proper in a nice blouse, skirt and shoes. Now she was in dirty riding clothes, hair up in a messy ponytail, and definitely not in class.

"You're supposed to be at school."

"And you're supposed to be with Miles."

"Plans change."

"Yes they do."

"Don't get sassy with me." Nora gave her a cold glare as she bent down to retrieve the broken glass on the floor. Her eyes scanned the back door, noticed the empty pane closest to the doorknob. Mia followed the gaze, then back to her sister. For a moment, neither said anything, then Mia gave a lazy shrug.

"The lock picks weren't working."

"The lock picks weren't working. One, why do you have lock picks and two, why are you breaking into my house at ten o'clock in the morning?"

"Jeremy. You never gave me a key."

"You don't need a key because you're supposed to be in school and typically either myself or Miles is here to let you in once you get home. You're about four hours early. So, what I'm getting from this is you're cutting class and sneaking into my house when I'm not here, or when you think I'm not here."

"I thought it was our house."

"Maybe you should start acting like it is then. Why aren't you in class?"

"Don't act like you're Mom. You're really bad at it." Mia rolled her eyes as she started to walk away.

"Excuse me, I'm not finished so you can get back here." Nora took a deep breath to keep herself calm even though she felt her anger pulsating. "I asked you a question and you're going to give me an answer."

"I don't want to be in school and I don't need to be. I'm seventeen and can make my own decisions."

"Okay. So, as a big, hotshot seventeen year old who can make her own decisions, you didn't feel comfortable enough to make a case for not having to attend school? You figured it'd be better to sneak behind our backs."

"Don't. _Our backs_. Don't act like it's you and him against me."

"We're not against you but we are your guardians. I don't care if you're seven, seventeen, twenty seven. As long as we are your guardians and you live here, you're going to show _both _of us respect. Let me explain something to you. You came to _me _for help. I willingly gave it. I would do anything for you. You are my sister and I love you. So don't you dare stand there and act like this is some awful scenario you're in. You have no idea how lucky you are."

"Oh yeah, I'm so lucky. Forced to stay here and do what _you _want. Finish school, expected to take some nice, comfy desk job as an assistant, or learn a trade and work in the city at one of the shops or restaurants. Find some nice Militia boy and settle down. Guess what! I don't want it and you can sit there and try and shove your happy, domestic way of life down my throat like you do to everyone else but it's not going to work."

"Do you know what's happening right now, all across the Republic? Kids, your age and younger, are being taken from their families to serve in the Militia. The rest of the kids who can't serve yet? The majority of them live in substandard conditions and are struggling to get through each season. There aren't many kids who get the options you get. Miles and I worked hard to keep you out of the Militia and get you into a school and-"

"You didn't do anything! They're scared of him and will do whatever he says! Everyone looks at me like I could snap my fingers and he'd come running in and slit them all open."

"You have every amenity available to you. God, you live in a fucking palace practically. Anything you need or want, you get it. We're doing everything we can to make sure you're comfortable and happy and instead you're acting like some selfish, ungrateful brat! You came to us! This is what you asked for!"

"You don't do shit! You didn't care back then and you don't care now. I know I'm a burden and you don't want me here and I'm cramping your living style or whatever. Hell, you left me and ran off with him so you could go screw each other and fuck the world up even more! I didn't ask for any of this! I asked you to find Dad and you didn't. All the fucking resources in the world and you would not find him. But Miles's family? You'd walk to Antarctica if you heard they were there!"

"You are unbelievable you know that? I left you with Dad because I knew you'd be safe there and you needed stability. You were a little kid and I wanted what was best for you. I didn't stay because Dad and I never got along."

"Oh so Miles had nothing to do with it."

"It was a lot of things, yes, Miles being one of them. But I never wanted to leave you. I wasn't trying to get rid of you. I just wanted you taken care of and I couldn't do that on my own."

"You were being selfish."

"Mia, we almost died when we were on our own! I wasn't much older than you are now. I can guarantee we would have not made it to Dad if it wasn't for Miles and Bass. It would have been selfish for me to keep you. And as far as finding Dad goes, right now I can't."

"Why?"

"We have other things going on. I can't just go off for personal reasons."

"But you can for Miles."

"That is different!"

"Because it's him and he actually matters!"

"No because his brother was needed for something in relation to the Republic. We were on an actual mission, not personal. So stop pitting yourself against him. I'm sorry that you feel like I'm taking his side more than yours because that's not the case at all. All of this whining and ridiculousness just proves how immature you still are. It's not one or the other. We're a family."

"He's not my family and you're useless. You could find Dad if you really wanted to and you're refusing. So I decided I'm not waiting around for you. I'm going to go find him."

"No you're not."

"I am. I talked to Bass and he has me working with Hudson. That's why I haven't been in school. I've been training. I'm going to learn what I can from him. After that, I'm going on a couple of hunts with Garrett, then when I feel ready, I'm going to find Dad."

"You're not doing this."

"Too late."

"Mia,"

"You can't stop me. You don't own me, you can't control me. You didn't even know I was cutting class. Just goes to show how aware you are of me and how much you really care."

"Right. You're absolutely right." Nora crossed her arms tightly over her chest, trying hard to keep herself under control. She wanted to reach out and slap her sister. "It makes perfect sense to leave the two people who actually give a damn what happens to you. You go ahead and try and find the man who deserted you twice and didn't care if you were alive or dead either time. You clearly know what you're doing and understand the risks of it all. So have fun. What time was your lesson with Jim? You don't want to keep him waiting. Just make sure you let me know when you're leaving so I don't waste any time wondering if you're coming home."

* * *

"Bass,"

He lifted his head from the papers he was reading and raised an eyebrow as he saw Nora in the doorway of his office.

"This is a surprise. Close the door." he stood from the chair, buttoned his jacket, and walked towards her. "What's going on?"

"Mia told me you arranged for her to start bounty hunting."

"Yes I did. I figured she'd have the same knack for it that you do."

"What are you doing?"

"Allowing an up and coming young woman to refine her skills. Always plan ahead. I've watched her. Quite remarkable. Crazy to think that little, talkative, Disney know-it-all kid turned into her."

"Miles and I specifically said she wouldn't be involved with anything and you went behind our backs."

"She's not technically involved in anything. When the time comes, she'll be a contracted help, much like yourself. If anyone went behind your backs, it was her."

"You could have made us aware of what she was planning."

"According to the law, she is an adult. I don't need to make you aware of anything."

"Bass, she just turned seventeen. She doesn't know what she's getting herself into."

"What do you want Nora? Tell me. I'll make it happen."

"I want you to tell her no." she paused, rethinking her sister's words. She swallowed, knowing eventually, Mia was going to get her own way. "Just for now. Give her an extended training period but do not send her on hunts."

"Fine."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Thank you." she started to turn away but his soft laugh made her look back at him. He shook his head slightly at her.

"I'll do it... but you need to do something for me." he moved in closer and she froze, tensing up immediately. "Relax. I'm not going to bite. I just want one thing."

"Bass,"

"Shh." they were practically touching at that point and then his arm was around her waist, locking her tight against him so she had nowhere to go. She clenched her eyes shut, breathing deeply. She attempted to move but his grip was too strong. His head tipped down to hers and he leaned his forehead gently against the side of her head, nose pressed into her hairline. He sighed quietly, murmuring her name against her ear.

"Bass,"

"How willing are you to keep her safe?" his free hand came up, caressing the side of her neck lightly. "Hmm?"

He pulled his head back so he could look her in the eye and smirked as he saw the grimace on her face.

"Open your eyes and look at me." his hand moved up to her cheek and he dug his fingers in, making her hiss and her eyes popped open reluctantly. "I'll do it. I will. Just give me what I want."

"No."

"No?" he leaned in and she tried to lean her head back but he quickly moved his fingers into her hair and kept a tight grip on her. "You sure? I could do whatever you want, more so than Miles can. You tell him about Mia, he'll put an end to it. I'll just override him."

Now, he moved in completely and brushed his mouth over hers, making her whimper loudly and struggle against him. It wasn't a complete kiss but he remained there, whispering against her lips.

"So you'd put Miles over Mia. Is that it? Guess it doesn't mean as much as you think then. If you truly wanted her to stay, you'd be willing to do whatever it took."

"You're despicable. You know that?"

He chuckled and finally released her. She moved away quickly and glared at him as she blindly reached for the door.

"She leaves the day after Christmas. But if she keeps making as much progress as Hudson says, it will most likely be sooner. As always, the offer stands. Just let me know if you change your mind."

Once the door slammed behind her, she quickly made her way through the halls to Miles's office. She didn't know if he would be there. He had been taking care of various matters with Alec and he had told her not to expect him to be around most of the day. Yet he was there when she opened the door, shaking visibly and close to tears.

"What the hell?" he immediately stood up and was in front of her in a second. "What's the matter?"

She broke down into quiet sobs and pressed her face into his chest. She didn't know what she was crying for. It could have been Bass, the fact he had kissed her, the fact she had technically betrayed Miles even if it was against her will. It may have been that she had, for one slight moment teased the idea of sleeping with Bass just to keep Mia safe, or it was the fact that she had chosen her loyalty to Miles over Mia, reiterating her sister's harsh yells that she would pick him over her and she did not matter.

"Honey, you gotta tell me what happened. I don't know what's going on." he rubbed her back gently, then took a step back in order to look at her. He cupped her face in his hands, wiped tears away, but the gentle gesture only made her cry harder because it reminded her of Bass, bringing the whole scenario full circle once more. She should have known that going to him would have ended badly. She was so stupid to think otherwise. "Nora,"

They stared at each other and she was ready to let it all out. But as she looked at him, she could not find the words to let him know what his best friend- his brother- had done because she knew how much it would hurt him. It would cause so many more problems and even though he had told her to let him know if something like this happened, she couldn't. Instead she would let him know about Mia. That in itself was enough to drive her to tears and make a believable cover story.

She inhaled a deep breath, then let out another choked sob, but managed to find her voice, "M-Mia is uh- she told me this morning she's planning on bounty hunting because she thinks I don't care about her or finding my dad so she's going to take matters into her own hands."

"Oh. Babe, don't let this bother you. I'll take care of it."

"No. She's... she's been cutting school and training with Hudson. She's-" she ran her tongue along her lip, letting her eyes close. All she could hear was Bass telling her he'd override Miles's order. "It doesn't matter. She's going- one way or another. Miles, I- I tried so hard."

She wasn't sure what the last part was about. It was definitely about she had tried so hard to take care of Mia but there was the underlying part that she tried so hard to stay away from Bass.

"Do you want me to talk to her?"

"She's not going to listen." more tears spilled over and he pulled her into another hug, holding on tightly. She clung to him, trying to focus on the feel of his touch and let it erase away the memory of Bass's. It didn't and she felt sick to her stomach.


	2. Chapter 2

This was definitely one of those dreams where you were aware you were dreaming. Since it didn't involve any sort of mayhem and did involve Nora in a tight corset and equally tight pants, Miles figured he would sit back and enjoy. It had been too damn long since he had actually dreamed instead of nightmares or nothing. This was shaping up to be pretty good, he thought, as she sashayed towards him with a sexy smirk plastered to her face. He stayed where he was, standing on the sand between the crashing waves and the crackling fire, with a bottle of rum in his hands. Yep, definitely a good dream. They were... pirates? He scanned the area, saw the ship bobbing off in the distance, glanced down at his own wardrobe choice. Probably pirates.

"Captain," her low, sultry tone regained his attention- yeah, definitely pirates- and he found her pressed against him. She plucked his hat deftly from his head, dropped it to the sand with a soft thud, and then her fingers were slipping into his hair, pulling him down, and-

"Dad?"

He jerked awake at the intrusion and was disoriented for a moment, then saw Alex standing off to his side. He gave a quiet groan, ran his hand over his face, and tipped his head back.

"God, Alex." he sighed, shaking his head slightly, then added, "What?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his son recoil, and instantly felt bad. His typical gruff tone gave the impression he was irritated rather than surprised.

"I'm sorry. I didn't- that didn't come out right. I wasn't expecting you to be standing there. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm hungry." he shuffled his bare feet on the carpet, stared down at his toes.

"Hungry? It's the-" Miles trailed off as he noticed the sun beginning to come through the windows. He took a moment to look around and realized he had fallen asleep on the couch. The familiar weight of his wife against him let him know neither of them had gone anywhere in hours. The TV was still on and _The Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End _DVD menu was replaying on a loop. Well, that explained the dream. "Alright. Alright, just give me a minute, okay? I'll get you something."

"Thanks. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay." he forced himself to smile slightly, even though he was half awake and his entire body was sore, because Alex still looked uncertain of himself and regretted waking him up. Seven weeks later and Miles still felt like there were moments where they grew awkward with each other, unsure of what could possibly set the others off. "Why don't you keep yourself occupied and I'll call you when breakfast is ready."

"Can I go outside?"

"Just stay in the backyard." he didn't see why that would be a problem. He would be able to see him from the kitchen the entire time. "Take Stitch out with you."

The dog sat up lazily from the pillow in the corner at the sound of his name. The furry, dark head tilted to the side slightly, as though he was considering Miles and Alex, then pushed himself to his feet and followed the boy through the house.

Miles let his head hit the back of the couch once they were gone and shut his eyes once more. It couldn't have been more than seven in the morning. He sighed deeply, then ran his hand over Nora's back, and immediately frowned as he felt how tense she was. He lifted his head up to look at her. She was half laying, half sitting against him. One arm was thrown across his chest and her hand was tightened around his shirt, clenching the material as though her life depended on it.

"Miles,"

He knew she wasn't awake. That sleepy lilt in her voice told him as much and there was nothing going on that should have had her that upset if she was conscious. He didn't like the way she mumbled his name. It wasn't happy and loving but rather sad and needy, wanting him to fix something or help her. Obviously something was wrong. Nightmare or not, he felt terrible he wasn't able to do anything for her.

He didn't want to startle her but he wanted her awake, or at least wake long enough to let him stand up and she could go upstairs for another couple hours of sleep.

"Baby," he leaned down a little, rubbed her back gently. Slowly, he felt her relax, then she sighed and moved slightly. The top of her head hit into the side of his neck and he winced a little but leaned his head against hers. "You awake?"

"Barely." there was a thickness in her voice, like she was close to crying.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing." but her arm tightened around his chest, hugging him a little. "What time is it?"

"Early. Alex is hungry. Didn't want to knock you off the couch. Why don't you go to bed?"

"No, I'm up. I guess we didn't make it far into the movie."

"I don't remember when I fell asleep." he released her as she sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. He looked at her for a long moment, put off by the distant expression in her eyes, and reached to cup her cheek gently. She made a face and he dropped his hand. "What?"

"Nothing." she touched the same spot gently, then gave a small smile. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize."

"It's not you."

"I should hope not." he hesitated but she moved in towards him again and he skimmed his hand over her cheek. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"No. Just... thinking." she shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

He frowned, staring at her, knowing somehow that she meant Bass. She smiled again, rubbing her hand over the other side of her face.

"Stop. I'm fine."

"Why won't you talk to me?"

"Hang on, _you _want to talk?"

"Don't be like that. You know I listen when you want me to."

"I don't want to talk."

"You've had a few pretty rough months."

"And it's best just to forget them."

"Honey, you don't forget that kind of stuff."

"If I sit and mope and think about it, I'm going to drive myself crazy."

"Pushing it away isn't going to do anything. Trust me, I know. And these nightmares aren't going to stop."

"Thanks Mr. Psychology but it wasn't a nightmare and it wasn't about my few rough months. I'm fine." she gave him a quick kiss, then stood up. "But I appreciate the concern. You can be sweet when you want to be. You want to make breakfast or should I?"

"I got it."

"Try and make it edible this time. I'm trusting you."

* * *

It was shaping up to be a nice day. The breeze was coming in off the water, the sky was clear and bright, birds were chirping, and over the high fence surrounding the yard, the sounds of the neighborhood coming to life could be heard.

Nora gave a content sigh as she leaned back into the porch swing and pushed at the deck with her toes, sending the swing into a lazy motion. She looked to her left, watching the waves crash against the sand, and was lulled into relaxation. It made it easier to forget about Bass and the Republic. The past was the past and she couldn't change it so there was no point in letting herself get all worked up.

The sound of laughter and barking made her look back to the yard and she smiled as she watched Alex play fetch with their recently acquired mutt. The scene only reiterated her mind frame. Things had sucked for a while but now they had worked themselves out. Alex and Stitch raced each other through the grass and she was ready to reach for the sketchpad at her side when her son lost his footing and tumbled down the small hill to the fence at the far side of the yard- an area that was out of her line of sight. Thoughts of broken limbs, concussions, and stitches filled her head. Her heart stopped, she jumped off the swing, and was almost at the bottom of the steps when Miles snaked an arm around her, holding her back.

"Take it easy, he's fine." he murmured, kissing the back of her head. Sure enough, Alex's dark head popped into view, unharmed and without a tear in sight, and he laughed as Stitch bounded forward and slobbered over him.

"I couldn't see him. He could have-"

"I know. He's fine. He's a boy. He's going to get scraped and broken. He'll live. He's a Matheson." he held his cup of coffee up for her to take a sip and she leaned back against him once she had. He put his chin on the top of her head and watched their son as well.

"He scares me Miles." she said softly, sighing a little. Things may have worked themselves out but she could still worry about what was happening in the present. Her statement earned her a chuckle and she rolled her eyes, smacking his arm gently. "It's not funny."

"Do I at least get to say I told you so?"

"No, you do not."

"So we can talk about Alex but not anything else?"

"Alex is what I need to focus on right now and he scares me."

"Okay." he paused, then smirked again, "You have to admit it's a little funny."

"It isn't the least bit funny."

"Don't beat yourself up. You're a great mom, okay?"

"I have never been so unsure of anything in my life."

Parenting wasn't like she had expected. She knew there would be ups and downs but she had never thought she'd be the one constantly on edge, hovering intensely over him, worried she wasn't doing it right. She told herself the reaction was normal. Technically, she was new at being a mother. Overall, she hadn't even had six months total with her son. She imagined this was how it was with a newborn, except harder. You didn't know what they needed at first. At least with Alex, she could ask him if she wasn't sure about something.

Hell, she didn't have to imagine. She remembered those few short hours she and Miles had with Alex as a newborn. They had been filled with an overwhelming amount of love, happiness, and insecurities. They had fumbled and fretted, worrying he wasn't being held right or wasn't warm or was too warm or hadn't eaten enough. But they would have gotten used to it. They would have learned what made their son tick. Now, at a time when he should have been second nature to them, they were still in the learning stages.

"Once things settle down and we get into a routine, we'll be fine." she said quietly, more for her benefit than his. All things aside, once you got down to the root of everything, they barely knew each other. Even the three months they had together earlier in the year wasn't enough. Rachel had still been in the picture and took control half the time.

"Things are fine right now." he replied. He leaned away slightly to take a drink of his coffee while rubbing his other hand along her hip gently. "He's happy Nora."

"I know and I know we're doing the best we know how. This still doesn't feel real though. It's more like we're just playing and soon his real parents will be here to take him back. I know that sounds awful but it feels like I can't get comfortable, like I'm just waiting for the next disaster to strike."

"Alright. I know what you're saying and I know what you mean but one, we are his real parents. Neither of us are going anywhere. Two, I don't blame you for feeling that way. Things were pretty shitty there for a while. Realistically, it's only been seven weeks." he kissed her head again as a faint beep was heard from inside. "Breakfast is ready."

"I got to hand it to you."

"What?"

"I mean, I knew you'd be good at this, despite all your whining otherwise. Yet, you're the calm one and I'm the one feeling like the sky is going to fall any day."

"Maybe because I plan for the worst and it's not as bad as I expected and you expect perfection and it's not quite there yet. Baby, we're doing everything we can. He hasn't run away yet so I'm taking that as a good sign." he let her have another sip of the coffee, then drained the rest for himself, and stepped closer to the edge of the porch. He let out a sharp whistle, then called, "Alex, let's go!"

Immediately, he started to run for the deck, yelling for Stitch to follow. They ducked around Miles and Nora, barely stopping to say hi, and continued on into the house, tracking mud along the floor.

"Boys." she said softly, rolling her eyes with a sigh. Miles smirked and followed on after, making sure to stop and throw an old rag down on the new mess. Nora moved past him to the cabinets to grab plates and glasses to set the table. She gave Alex a kiss on the top of his head as she began putting out the tableware, which earned her a sweet smile.

"Morning," Charlie greeted cheerfully as she and Jason entered from the hallway.

"Hey. You guys are up early."

"Smelled the food. It looks great Nora." Jason smiled.

"Thanks but it was all Miles."

"I find your assumption to be sexist." he added, coming to the table with the pan of eggs.

"You don't strike me as the cooking type."

"I cook better than she does."

"False." Nora argued as she grabbed the orange juice off the counter and the bacon from the stove. "But I'll spare him the embarrassment. He did a good job on this."

"Thanks baby."

"Mom does cook better." Alex piped up through a mouthful of eggs.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Nora chided as Miles said, "Sure, yeah, take her side."

"It's actually not too bad." Jason commented.

"Actually edible this time." Charlie added with a smirk.

"You're both welcome."

"What are you two doing today?" Nora asked after they ate in silence for a while. The young couple exchanged a glance and Charlie scratched the side of her head.

"We were going to head north, into the bay, maybe do some fishing and walk on the boardwalk." she replied.

"Can I come?" Alex asked, head poking up with a hopeful look in his eye.

"Actually, we were going to hang around here." Nora answered. Her son looked dismayed at this while her niece smiled gratefully. "We're going to go into town, do some shopping, go to the park maybe. Get to know the area, you know. How's that sound?"

"Boring."

Miles choked on his coffee and coughed, trying to contain his laughter. Nora shot him a glare, then turned her attention back to Alex with a small smile.

"We'll see how it goes. Maybe later, once we get done with our stuff, we'll meet up with them. Today is going to be like an adventure." she paused to chew, then added, "Finish your breakfast then go get cleaned up."

She didn't miss the side glance Alex shot at Miles, or the slight nod her husband returned, as if to say _go with it, don't argue with her. _Alex held back a sigh and an eye roll, shoveled in the last of his eggs, and scrambled from the table.

"We can take him with us." Charlie offered.

"No. You two have done enough since everything... and besides, it'll be good for us. He looks up to you both and that's fine but he doesn't need to be attached to your hip 24/7. He's only doing this because he's shy and nervous."

"How do you know?"

"Same exact reaction and expression this one gives when he's thrust into a new, uncomfortable situation." Nora explained with a smirk. She rubbed one hand down Miles's arm as he scowled over his mug at her. "Go. Have a good time."

Charlie and Jason exchanged another look. He waggled his eyebrows a couple times and she smiled slightly, as though she was trying to fight it.

"Seriously, go. Now. Before I throw up." Miles pointed a finger towards the hallway. In an instant, they were gone, laughing down the hallway together. "I could care less about new, uncomfortable situations."

"Right." Nora leaned over to kiss him before collecting the dishes. "Keep telling yourself that babe."


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm gonna get a pretzel." Miles gestured at the street vendor at the end of the park. "You want anything?"

"I'll pick on yours." Nora responded. She kept her eyes on Alex sitting in the jungle gym but smiled slightly.

"Of course you will." he pressed a kiss to the side of her head as he stood, then started to walk away. She sighed quietly and leaned back into the bench. Alex peered over the top of the bridge that connected the different slides and ladders and scanned the area looking for them. Once his eyes found her, she lifted her hand in a wave. He pressed his chin into the ledge and gave a halfhearted wave. After a moment, he climbed down and made his way to her.

"What's going on baby?"

"Are um, are you ready to go home yet?"

He didn't quite meet her gaze and scuffed his shoes into the dirt. A small, slightly sad and disappointed smile formed on her face as she leaned forward and took his hands gently.

"Are you?" she countered, resulting in a non committed shrug. "It's only been about fifteen minutes."

"It's just," he exhaled loudly, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. A faint blush formed on his face and he crossed his arms, looking slightly uncomfortable and too much like Miles in Nora's opinion.

"What?"

"I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?" she was confused and he was clearly embarrassed.

"Here."

"Oh. Oh, honey, you just- it's-" she stopped herself with a deep breath and took a moment to gather her thoughts. This was just another in a string of instances that revealed how sheltered her son had been in Philadelphia. She knew he was shy but she didn't think he would be totally oblivious to interacting with other kids. "You play. Look,"

She knew he could play. He caused enough trouble at home on his own and with the dog. Miles was usually wrestling around on the floor with him and Charlie and Jason were a constant source of entertainment. He was comfortable in his own environment but outside of that, he was socially awkward.

"Everyone is just playing together. Go up to one of them and introduce yourself. They all look pretty nice and a lot of them are around your age."

"What do I say?"

"You say your name is Alex and ask if you can play."

"What if they say no?"

"I doubt they will but if they do, it's not the end of the world."

"I don't want to."

"You don't want to or you're nervous?" she asked, which resulted in another shrug from him. "What's bothering you the most?"

"They're not gonna like me."

"That's not possible."

"They all know each other."

"They've probably been friends for awhile or go to school together. We're new in town so we have to get to know people. Do you want me to come with you?"

"No!"

"Why?"

"None of the other moms are. I'll look like a baby. Can't we just go home?"

"Look over there. That boy in the sand is playing by himself. Why don't you go talk to him? It's not a big group but at least it's something."

"Mom,"

"Honey, I know it's a little hard right now. This is new for you. It's new for all of us. But new is good. It is scary because we don't know what to expect but soon we see that we actually are enjoying it." she paused, waiting for him to object. When he didn't, she squeezed his hands lightly, and continued, "Can we compromise?"

"What's that?"

"We clearly don't agree so we are going to meet halfway, so we both get a little bit of what we want. I know you don't want to stay but I want you to have a little fun so how about if in ten minutes you still feel uncomfortable, we will go home. But I want you to give it a shot."

"Fine." he looked a little dismayed at the idea but nodded reluctantly. He glanced at the boy she had pointed out, then looked back at her. She gave a comforting smile and kissed his forehead quickly.

"I'm going to be sitting right here. No worries."

"Ten minutes."

"Ten minutes." she held back her laugh as he wandered away. She waited as he slowly approached the boy in the sand and watched as he shuffled awkwardly as he attempted to make conversation. After a minute, the boy nodded and Alex plopped into the sand, grabbing a free bucket. _Success._

"Excuse me,"

She turned and found a woman leaning in towards the bench, ready to take the seat that Miles had vacated. She smiled cheerfully at Nora and gave a small wave.

"Hi. I'm Sandy Wilson. I just wanted to introduce myself. I live down the street from you. I noticed you moved in a few weeks ago and I've been trying to get over but my husband told me to mind my own business until you were ready to meet everyone. He says I can overwhelm people." she laughed a little, then added, "Anyway, when I saw you sitting here, I thought I'd come by. I'm surprised no one else has. You're all anyone can talk about in town."

"Really."

"Oh yeah! It's been a while since anyone new has come to town. It's rather exciting for us."

"That's... nice." Nora forced herself to smile, though the idea they had inadvertently drawn attention to themselves was disconcerting. Miles would not be happy. She wondered though if it was a gross exaggeration on Sandy's part because no one seemed to be the least bit interested in them and the woman who had helped them with the house had been polite, professional, and didn't ask many questions.

"You're... oh, what did she say- Evie? Lucy said your name is Evie."

_Lucy? _Nora frowned for a second, trying to give the name a face. Lucy. Sensing her confusion, Sandy offered, "She's our go-to person in town. She showed you the house."

"Right. Lucy." Perhaps she wasn't as professional as she had thought. "But yeah, Evie. Yes, that's me. It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry. I was kind of caught off guard for a moment."

"No worries. I'm sure things have been crazy for you. Where did you move from?"

"Nowhere particular. Been a few places over the years. Georgia... Colorado... Indiana." she said, shrugging. An easy smile finally fell into place. Miles had harped on them to keep quiet, not give away details that could connect them to anything or anyone. _What the hell's the point of an alias if you idiots screw it up? _That had been more for Charlie and Jason. Nora had been in this long enough to know how to keep herself hidden. Miles could be a chameleon when he wanted. "We traveled a lot before we settled down."

"Sounds like you've lead an exciting life."

"Same as anyone else."

"Right. So, I wanted to invited you over this Saturday," Sandy held up a hand as she saw Nora start to protest, "just hang on, hang on. Every few weeks we have a big get together. This time is at my house. Lots of good food, friendly people. It'll be a chance to get to know everyone. None of us bite, I promise."

"I'll keep it mind. Thank you." she glanced towards Alex, saw he was smiling, and let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Looks like they made friends quick enough. That's my son Jake. He's eight."

"Alex will be eight in December."

"They'll be in the same class. I have to say, a lot has been bad since the blackout but the teachers around here have really pulled themselves together. I know some areas lack in education but I think you'll be happy with how things are here. It really is a great town."

"That's why we picked it. Some place small, quiet, safe."

"Got all three. Do you have any other kids? I have two more, girls. Sarah and Jillian. Sarah's the oldest, she's twelve and Jillian is ten."

"Oh. No, no, I don't have any. Just Alex. I mean, my niece lives with us but she's twenty so I don't think she counts as a kid."

"That's a big age gap. My nephews are fourteen and nine."

"My brother-in-law was married first, older too. We didn't have Alex for a while after we were married."

"Everyone's different. You're still young. Plenty of time to have a few more."

Nora's eyebrows raised at the comment, finding it quite brazen for someone who had only known her five minutes, but Sandy was busy waving to a group of women, who were now coming over. _Oh my God. _She always prided herself on being friendly. Back in school, she had no problems making friends but now she suddenly found herself surrounded on all sides by a pack of five women and it was slightly terrifying. _It's them, not me. _

"These are some of the other ladies in the neighborhood. We're all great friends, spend a lot of time doing play dates, shopping, lunch, those sorts of things. So, we have Gina, Rebecca, Kate, and Christine."

They reminded Nora of overeager teenagers. Half of them talked at the same time, all of them wanted to know her business, and they were all louder than the kids on the playground. She was feeling overwhelmed, was beginning to understand her son's trepidation, and finally spotted Miles coming towards her with two pretzels in hand. One was halfway to his mouth but stopped as he eyed the situation.

She knew the look in his eye, knew the tension in his shoulders. He didn't like what he was seeing and he was gearing up to take off. _Oh hell no. _She jumped up, pushed between Gina and Kate- or was it Christine and Rebecca?- and grabbed him by the hand.

"Don't even think about it." she hissed so only he heard as they started back towards the women, who were eyeing him with interest. "You don't get to back out."

"You got yourself into this mess. I'm a victim in all this- an innocent bystander." he mumbled, not enjoying the gaze of the women at all. He _was_ a victim. The whole scene had predator vs. prey written all over it. She aimed a glare at him as she used her free hand to propel him forward. There was a bout of silence, she pinched his arm as a prompt, then he inhaled a breath, and in his typical, uninterested tone, said, "Hi. I'm Rick. Real nice to meet you."

He was given all the introductions and was immediately sucked into their conversation. They wanted to know everything about him and they stared at him like he was the quarterback of the football team, or the latest rock star. Nora would have been lying if she said she wasn't amused by their antics.

"How good are you at fixing things? I swear my husband doesn't know a nail from a screw."

"I _don't _have a husband. It's just me and my daughter in that big house at the end of the road. Place is falling apart."

"Lucy said you were good looking but she never said just how much. She's always likes to understate things."

He caught her eye- _stop this madness_- and tightened his grip on her hand, ready to drag her off at the next possible chance.

"I think we should grab Alex. It's about time we hit the road." she said, a smile on her face. There were sounds of disapproval from all the women.

"You just got here!" Sandy debated.

"I know but it was only a pit stop. We have to meet our niece in about a half hour."

"Well, alright, but you're coming over Saturday, even if I have to come and drag you out myself!"

"I don't doubt it. Nice meeting everyone!"

Nothing was said as they got Alex and started down the sidewalk. They were almost into the neighborhood when Miles asked, "So, are you still all for making friends?"

"He was okay." Alex shrugged, kicking a pebble ahead of them.

"Not you. Nora?"

"I think that was an isolated event."

"Yeah. Okay. It's like we crash landed in Stepford."

"They can't all be like that."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up."

* * *

"You look a million miles away."

"I was just thinking." Nora smiled faintly as Miles slipped his arms around her. She leaned back against his chest and shut her eyes.

"That's dangerous."

"You would know."

"Touche."

"Alex asleep?"

"He's in bed. I don't know if he's asleep. He may have been playing me. Didn't beg for another chapter so I'm taking that as a good sign." he stared out the window, scanning the neighborhood and the ocean in the distance.

Then he focused on her reflection in the glass, saw how relaxed she seemed. Tentatively, he slipped a hand underneath her tank top, and slowly trailed his fingers up along her stomach. She sighed softly, mumbled his name, and tilted her head back to kiss him. She turned completely after a moment and wrapped her arms around his neck, fingers slipping into his hair. She had been so happy when he and Alex had left one morning and returned with matching haircuts- short and slightly tousled. It didn't matter what her husband looked like- she had seen him in a variety of states- but to be honest, he had been looking scraggly and haggard there for a while. The weeks following the Tower had been better for all of them. They were beginning to resemble and act like typical humans again.

"Is this okay?" he murmured against her mouth, cutting off her thought process. Her eyebrows came together in a confused frown and she opened her eyes to look at him.

"What?"

"That we're-"

"You don't have to ask me. If I didn't want to, I wouldn't have reacted the way I just did."

"It's just been a while and every time we've attempted, it hasn't happened, and after this morning-"

"This morning I was half asleep. It takes a minute to come out of it."

"I don't know what was going on but I don't want to... to be a trigger for something."

"You're not a trigger. If anything, I need you. You help forget things." something flashed in her eyes and she looked so pathetic for that second that he pulled her in further for a warm hug and kissed her forehead gently.

"I love you." he brought one hand up to the back of her head and stroked her hair gently. She seemed to melt into him and tightened her own grip on him. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you again. I'm sorry that I've let it happen in the past."

"I know. I love you too." she lifted her head and kissed him softly. "I don't want to rush things but there's a storm coming in and in about an hour, we're going to have one very upset kid banging on our door."

"I can work with an hour."

"Possibly sooner."

"No problem." he backed her to their bed, she sat down, and he sunk to his knees in front of her. He looked up at her with such a loving gaze in his eyes that it overwhelmed her. "I didn't want it to be like this but it's been almost three months and I think if either of us went one more day, we were going to die."

"Didn't want it to be like what?"

"Us in a house with kids. Should have been more... isolated and romantic... candles... or torches... sand... pirates." he began to nuzzle and kiss his way up her right leg as she frowned and mouthed pirates at the ceiling. "I don't know. Just doesn't seem right."

"As long as it's you, I really don't mind the minor details. But it's sweet that you want to woo me."

"Well, I should hope it would be me and sometimes you deserve to be wooed."

* * *

It took an hour and a half before Alex crept into their bedroom. They had hastily grabbed pajamas and unlocked the door only a short while before and were nearly asleep as the door creaked in time with a rumble of thunder.

"Mommy,"

Nora swore her heart melted every time he called her Mommy rather than Mom. To her, it was a sign that a bit of her baby was still there, still needing her for something.

"It's okay." she sat up enough to allow him room to crawl in between herself and Miles. A bolt of lightning lit up the room, showcasing the fear in Alex's eyes. "It's okay baby."

He burrowed against her, burying his face as far into her chest as it would go and tensed as another bout of thunder was heard. Rain pelted against the roof and windows, making it seem as though they were sitting in the midst of it all.

"It'll be over soon." she lied. The rapid succession of thunder and lightning told them the storm was close and it didn't seem as though it was moving out any time soon. "Try to go to sleep, okay?"

"I'm sorry. It's stupid."

"You don't have to be sorry." she tightened her arm around him and shut her eyes. "It's a completely rational fear."

"You and Dad aren't afraid of anything." he mumbled, sounding ashamed of himself.

"That's not true." Miles moved in closer, sandwiching their son between them. He kept his hand on Alex's head, stroking his hair lightly. "Plenty of things I'm afraid of."

"Me too." Nora added. "People are afraid of different things."

"I never see you get afraid."

"You learn to control it better when you get older, especially if you have other people depending on you. You don't let it consume you because you know you can't let it. But right now, you don't have to worry about any of that and we're here to protect and comfort you."

"What are you afraid of?"

She opened her eyes and met Miles's gaze over Alex's head. They knew what the other was thinking. They worried they would be found out, that Bass or Rachel would somehow find their way to them, that Alex would be hurt, that they would get hurt or killed. Plenty of things that were not suitable for a seven year old.

"Spiders." she said, while he responded, "Snakes."

"That's weird." Alex mumbled.

"See? Bet you're not scared of either of those."

"Not really."

"And my point has been proven. We're not scared of storms and you're not scared of snakes and spiders."

"Your mom is always right."

"That's why your dad doesn't argue with me." she smiled slightly as she felt his chest shake with a quiet laugh. "Does that make you feel better?"

He lifted his shoulder for a shrug, then peeled his head away from her, and rolled to his back so he could see both of them.

"Is... is it okay that I come in here?"

"Of course it's okay."

"I just- I know I- I don't want to bother you."

"You're not bothering us. You always come to us, no matter what or when it is. We're never going to tell you no, okay?" Miles gave him a slight poke, trying to get a nod or some sign of agreement out of him.

"Unless you want to go sky diving or swim with sharks. I might have a problem with that." Nora added. "But no, we are not going to tell you to go away when you need us. You're still little Alex. You don't need to act big and brave just quite yet."

She leaned in and kissed the side of his head softly, wrapping her arm around him once more. Then she said, "I want you to go to sleep though, okay? It's very late."

"Just do me a favor and don't kick me again tonight." Miles muttered. A bashful grin formed on Alex's face.

"I love you." he mumbled, looking at them both in turn. It caught them both off guard. Despite the constant hugs, kisses, and calling them Mom and Dad, he had yet to tell them he loved them. He rolled back against Nora and shut his eyes before either of them could respond.

"We love you too." she whispered, hugging him tight. She waited a few minutes, felt him drift off to sleep, and cleared her throat. "Miles?"

"Yeah?"

"I think he's going to be the death of me."

"Yeah, I think so too."

She paused another moment, then whispered his name again.

"What?"

"Do you- have you thought about... another one?" she asked quietly. Sandy's statement from earlier in the day kept playing through her head. "I mean, if everything hadn't- you know, do you-"

"What are you babbling about?"

"Another baby."

"Oh." the thought seemed to stop him. She saw him turn his head and observe Alex, as though he was considering the idea. "I don't know. I didn't- why?"

"I was just wondering."

"It never occurred to me."

"I wonder if things hadn't turned out the way they did, if we would have had one or two more."

"Probably." he muttered. "We... I guess we still could, you know, if you wanted to."

"Do you?"

"Maybe. It's kind of early to say. Obviously I wouldn't be mad if it happened unexpectedly but- I don't know. We're just getting used to him. Why throw a baby into that?"

"Right."

"It's not something we have to worry about right now." he leaned over and kissed her quickly. "Get some sleep."


	4. Chapter 4

**November 2019- Seven Years After the Blackout**

"Wow, you're shaping up to be quite the fighter." Miles commented dryly. Hudson took a step back, smirked a little, and dropped his sword. Mia let out some noise of irritation, squared her shoulders, and turned to face her brother-in-law.

"What do you want?"

He stared at her for a moment, trying to decide whether he should be pissed or amused. She was the one person outside of Nora and Bass who didn't seem to be afraid of him in any way.

"I'm walking you home. Let's go."

"Thanks but no. I'm not finished here."

"Actually, you are. Hudson has been summoned. So unless you want to fight yourself, you're coming home with me."

"I don't have to go home. Nice offer but see you there."

He walked towards her, easily disarmed her, then twisted her arm behind her back. He knew he hadn't hurt her. It was a simple technique they taught in all their training but it was still enough to piss her off. Hudson whistled softly as he exited the building.

"It wasn't an offer. Let's go."

"And if I don't?"

"God, you are so much like your sister, it isn't funny."

"This what you do to her? Manhandle her until you get your way?" she snapped. "Let go of me."

"Not until I can trust you won't run away."

She swiped her foot back to kick him but he moved swiftly out of the way with an irritated sigh.

"There's really no point in trying to fight me. You won't win. Seen it all, done it all. I'm sure Hudson's been great and everything but if you wanted real lessons, you should have come to me instead."

"I don't want your help."

"Yeah that's right. That's why you broke into one of my camps a few months back. You were just stopping in to say hello."

"Still sore about that? Maybe if you weren't such a shit general and trained your troops better, you wouldn't have teenagers getting past your perimeters."

He dropped her arm and she turned quickly to look at him with a smug smirk on her face.

"Yup, still sore. Wounded pride and all that."

"You're a lot more annoying than she is."

"At least the feeling is mutual." she stuck her hand out and wiggled her fingers. "Give me my sword."

"No," he sheathed it and began walking. "Either you follow or I'm tying you to a horse and dragging you back."

"Give me my sword."

"Kids shouldn't play with sharp objects."

"I'm not a kid."

"You're right. You were better behaved when you were one."

"Don't fucking act like you know me." she snapped angrily. He turned to face her, taking only slight pleasure in how quickly she crumbled, then walked back towards her.

"You're right. I don't know you. I know bits and pieces and frankly, that's enough for me. You want to know why? I find your brooding, snark, and angst to be ridiculous and irritating. I have very little patience for that. I don't appreciate your attitude but I don't let it bother me. You're here, fine. You're not my responsibility. You're seventeen. You can handle yourself. I don't need to hold your hand.

"Typically, I'd let you wreck yourself but your sister has been crying her eyes out in my office and I don't like that. When someone does something that upsets my wife, I take care of it. Now, I know you hate me and I certainly have no sort of feelings towards you either way, but lashing out at her because of it isn't going to work anymore and neither is running off and having a temper tantrum, which is what this whole _I wanna be a bounty hunter _thing is. So, I know you care about your sister and I know you don't want her upset."

"I don't care about her. She doesn't care about me. Why waste the energy?"

"This is where the angst and temper tantrum comes in. As stupid as you're acting now, I know you're pretty intelligent so let's cut the crap and admit that you are well aware Nora cares about you. She does everything for you Mia. You're just upset that someone else is part of her life. Some would say it's ridiculous but I understand why someone would be jealous of me."

"I'm not jealous of you, you stupid dick."

"You resent me. I get it. For a long time, it was just you, your mom, and Nora. Your dad really wasn't in the picture and after the blackout, Nora was everything for you. Then, unfortunately, I met you guys and that screwed up your dynamic. The timing was awful, which is why I understand that you think she deserted you for me. You were a kid, didn't have a real grasp on things at that point. But I am telling you, I have been with her close to every day since then and not one day has passed when she wasn't thinking about you or worrying about you. We had been planning on bringing you out here. We had even consulted your father, who had said no but the asshole up and left you in the end anyway. It is not fair what you are doing to her when she has only ever tried to think of you and your well being. So, now that that is settled, enough with the Xena Warrior Princess act. You're going back to school."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes you are and I will take you there and sit there for six hours each day until June to make sure you actually stay there. That's going to piss me off and be a waste of my time if I have to. You're going to apologize to Nora, then tomorrow you're back at school, and no more of this crap."

"I'm not doing this because of her. You won't find my dad."

"The only reason I would have to find your father would be if he committed some crime against the Republic. Despite being a gigantic asshole, he hasn't committed any sort of crime. I don't know if you've noticed, but my militia is kind of strained at the moment. I don't have extra men to send off on personal requests and your sister is needed for more pressing matters."

"Then I'll do it myself."

"No. You'd be dead in a day."

"I can handle myself."

"You're not going. Why would you want to?"

"He's my dad."

"As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't even deserve that. It would be a waste of time."

"I have to find him."

"He's not going to want to be."

"I don't care!" she yelled, stomping her foot and balling her hands into fists. "I don't fucking care! I'm not trying to bring him home! I just want answers! I want to know why he took off and why he didn't come back for me. I want to know why- why I'm not- not good enough."

She stumbled over the final sentence, sucking in hard breaths in an attempt not to cry. He suspected she had bundled this up for some time and the tension and arguing only intensified it.

"I-I want him to be dead because I'm so- so angry but then I get- get mad at my-myself because I know it's not true. I just- why can't I- I ever get him to- to stay with me? I know he- he doesn't deserve it so- so why do I care so much?" she broke down into tears, crying loudly. "I have never been-been good enough for- for him and I try so- so hard."

It took a second but he closed the gap between them and held her gently. He thought she would push him away but instead she collapsed against him and held on, probably too tired of fighting to continue.

"None of this is your fault, okay? I don't understand your father. Some guys are just shit at it. I have no respect for him. He has two great daughters and wasted every opportunity. You shouldn't be asking why you're not good enough for him. You should be asking why he was never good enough to you two. And I'm sorry but if you go looking for him, you're never going to get the answers you want. You might as well accept that and move on. You've tried and Nora's tried and he has never given in. Don't waste your time. You need to understand that we're here and we're doing the best we can. You want to leave, fine. But not until June. You're finishing out school, after that, the choice is yours. Right now, it's our decision. I think you're not used to having someone care but you're wanting it so badly you don't want to share it when you do find it. Nora isn't your dad. She's not going anywhere. And... I will try better with our relationship but you need to at least meet me halfway."

They stood quietly, only the sounds of Mia's cries punctuating the silence. After a few minutes, she calmed down, and let out a ragged breath and sniffed loudly.

"I still hate you." she mumbled.

"You're welcome."


	5. Chapter 5

**November 2019- Seven Years After the Blackout**

Miles assumed the silence was a good sign. He hadn't had to force Mia to do anything- she went willingly on her own to face Nora with her tail between her legs- but figured it would be best to wait outside until the storm blew over. He had busied himself with firewood on the side of the house, glancing up every so often at his bedroom window. The candles flickered against the glass and once in a while, a shadow or two would pass by.

Now, close to half an hour later, neither women had stormed out of the house and he hadn't heard any blood curling screams hinting assault. He entered his home and was greeted by silence. The lower level was dark, letting him know they were upstairs. All the doors were shut, though light filtered out from underneath the door of the room Mia had taken over. He paused outside the door, heard a faint scratching noise that he knew was a pencil writing.

His own room was dark but once he opened the door, candlelight poured out from the adjoining bathroom. He paused in the doorway, watched Nora sink into the tub, and considered his options. She tipped her head back against the ceramic rim as her arm hung over the side, fingers trailing over the opening of a wine bottle. Quietly, he walked into the bathroom and sat himself on the floor at her side.

"No glasses?"

"Didn't feel like that kind of night." she muttered, lifting the bottle to her lips. "You shouldn't have said anything to her."

"You two have a funny way of showing your appreciation."

"Waste of time."

"She's not going anywhere Nora. At least not until June and I'm sure by then, she's going to stop being so dramatic and admit she was being an idiot."

She merely shook her head and took another sip of the wine. He frowned at her reaction and moved closer, leaning his elbow against the side of the tub.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing. I'm tired. It's been one of those days. I'm just done." she leaned her head back and let her eyes shut. "I'm not used to her being like this."

"I don't know. Doesn't seem like she could get you all worked up and swigging straight from the bottle." he waited for her to respond. When she didn't, he leaned over and touched her cheek gently. She jerked away, startling him, and he dropped his hand back to the tub. "What the hell was that?"

"Nothing. Just- please leave me alone right now."

"No. Christ, I barely touched you. What's the problem?"

"Nothing."

"Did I do something?"

"No."

"Well, what-"

"Dammit, Miles, just stop!" she snapped, voice cracking slightly. "Go away. Please."

His face hardened and he stood up without a word, then stomped into their bedroom. He grabbed a change of clothes out of the dresser, slammed the drawer violently, then changed out of his uniform. He fell onto the bed without a word, though he wanted to yell at her that he was doing his best and she should cut him some slack. _She _was the one who came crying into his office. _He _was trying to be supportive. Obviously, he wasn't the greatest at it but at least he tried.

He stared up at the ceiling with his arms behind his head and listened to the water splash as she moved around. A little while later, she came out with a towel wrapped around her. He gazed at her as she moved to the dresser. After a moment, she turned to face him and leaned against the front of the drawers.

"I'm sorry."

"Whatever."

"I don't know how I- it's difficult to explain."

"That's up to you. Do whatever the hell you want."

"I don't-" she paused, tilting her head up to the ceiling with a sigh, "I don't need you acting like this."

"I'll mind my own business. Don't worry."

"No, I- Miles, please,"

"Please what?" he sat up then and stared at her darkly. "What do you want me to do? You come to me, upset over her, and I fix it. I see you're still upset and I try to help and you push me away and now you want me to... what?"

"I don't know." she shrugged helplessly. She was confused and tormented. She wanted so badly to let him know but felt she couldn't.

"Do you know what it's like to have you not want me to touch you, to act like you're, I don't even know what that was, afraid of me? Nora, I know I've done some awful and shit things over the years but I'd never hurt you."

"It's not about you. It wasn't you."

"But it was someone."

"It's over."

"Like hell it is."

"I don't want you being like this."

"Like what? Pissed that someone is harassing my wife? I'm sorry. I'll go shake his hand instead. Just point me in the right direction."

"It wasn't a big deal."

"Goddamn it Nora,"

"This is why I didn't want to tell you! I knew you'd get pissed off."

"You're fucking right I'd get pissed off!"

"I don't want you to be! It wasn't anything! And I handled it."

"Clearly!" he stared at her, trying to keep his anger in check. "That's what this was all about wasn't it? Sure, you're upset over Mia but _this _is what had you acting this way today."

"Miles,"

"What happened?"

"Nothing happened."

"Someone touched you." he stood up and walked towards her. She dipped her head down, curls falling in front of her face. "Nora,"

She refused to look up at him, shook her head slightly, then sighed as she felt his hands on her face.

"Honey, look at me."

"Just let it go."

"Look at me." he pushed her gently but she lifted her head up and met his eye. He moved his one hand to push her hair out of her face and noticed the red marks on her cheek- marks he hadn't noticed earlier because she had been crying and her complexion had been blotchy because of that. He traced his thumb gently over the area. "This is why you were upset."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Who did this?"

"It doesn't matter."

"If it doesn't matter, then tell me."

"No. I know how you'll get and I don't- you don't need to deal with that."

"I'll take care of it. Baby, obviously I care if someone hurt you but if anyone did this to anyone else, I'd want to know too. I'm not going to put up with that."

"Can't we forget about it? I want to forget it happened Miles. Just let it go."

"No. Whoever this was is going to be dealt with."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does."

"You can't fix it! You can't change it! You can't control everything!"

"I think the title gives me the right."

"There are things even you can't do."

"I think you're forgetting I'm one of the most powerful guys in the area." he smirked. She just stared sadly up at him and the smirk faded. "It was Bass."

"Miles,"

"What did he do?"

"Don't be like this."

"Nora, what did he do?"

"It wasn't-"

"Stop the bullshit. That's why you think I can't do anything because it's Bass. Didn't I tell you last month if he came to you again to tell me?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does!"

"I don't want it to!" she exclaimed. "I don't want you fighting with him. It's not him. He's- I don't know what's going on with him Miles but he's not right. It's not his fault. I think there's something wrong with him."

"Don't fucking defend him."

"Miles, stop." she put her hands on his chest, fingers tightening around his t-shirt. "This is why I didn't want you to know. I'm more mad because of what it means for you, not me. I'm sorry. I don't-"

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Because if I-"

"No. Don't. Jesus, don't do that. Did you go to him? Were you a fucking willing participant?"

"No. I mean, I went-"

"What?"

"I went to him because of Mia."

"Why? Why wouldn't you tell me first?"

"Because Bass is the one who gave her permission. I asked him to stop, I thought if I did, he'd keep her from leaving. And then he- I don't want you angry at him."

"Are you listening to yourself?"

"Yes! You're not listening to me! He's been going downhill for a couple years. I see it, you see it. Everyone knows it but no one is willing to do something about it. If you let something like this get in the way, who knows what he would do. You're about the only thing that is keeping him together right now."

"Nora-"

"Let me finish! Please, God Miles, just stop talking. I think that's what this is about. It's not about me at all. It's about you, like in some, twisted, convoluted way, he thinks if he pushes at us hard enough, I'll leave or you'll think it was me and break up with me. He thinks you're going to take his side and he'll make it look like it was my fault. Do you see what I'm saying? Something isn't right with him. He's so... I don't even know what. But he shouldn't be blamed. He needs... like, an intervention or something and I know that it would hurt you just as bad as it would hurt him and I'd rather just deal with whatever is going to happen than have you hurt because of it."

"No. No, Nora. God, I-" he broke off with a frustrated sigh, "Baby, it is not your job to look out for me. _I'm _supposed to look out for you and protect you and I can't fucking do that if you won't tell me what's going on. Don't stand there and take responsibility for something that wasn't your fault."

"I'm not saying it was my fault. I'm saying don't freak out on him."

"You're kidding me."

"I won't let you throw away thirty years of a friendship because of me, who has barely even been around a fifth of that time."

"Why would you ever think that I would accept this because of how long I've known him?"

"Miles, it goes far beyond knowing him. He's practically your family. Some things just can't-"

"I don't care." he cut her off, cupping her face once more. She blinked a few times, caught off guard by his intensity. "I. Don't. Care. _You _are my family. You are my wife. I don't want to hear you selling yourself short because you think I care more about him. You're crazy if you think I'm going to sit back and let him abuse you like this because I've known the guy since he was in diapers. That doesn't give him a fucking free pass."

"Well, that's what you're going to do. He's not abusing me."

"Yeah? What do you call it then? What did he do?"

"He's confused."

"Goddamn it Nora!" he yanked away from her and shoved his hands into his hair, gripping tight in frustration.

"Well how do you explain it!" she exclaimed. "This isn't Bass! We both know this is not Bass!"

"No! It's not who Bass _used _to be but it is who he is _now_. People change and he's changed for the worse. And-"

"And it's up to us as his friends to help him! I am _begging _you. Do not do something you are going to regret. Don't go to him and fight him over this. Don't even bring me into it but he needs to be sat down and talked to."

"He's not a kid having a damn temper tantrum Nora! This is serious!"

"He's losing control. Blowing up at him isn't going to help. You need to treat this carefully."

"No. I'm not-"

"It wasn't a big deal."

"What did he do?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It matters a whole fucking lot. Tell me what he did. _Maybe _then I'll decide if I'll let this one slide."

"He said he would stop Mia from being sent out if I slept with him. That's all. I laughed at him and told him he was crazy."

"And then he gripped your face so hard you have marks. What else did he do?"

"Nothing."

"Nora,"

"Miles, nothing else happened." she kept her voice steady and her eyes locked on his, making sure she didn't show any signs that she was lying. "I'm mad, okay? I'm more mad than anything else. I don't take him seriously. I don't want you angry at him. It'll just make things worse than it really is."

"Except we already had this conversation and I told you if he came to you again, you were to tell me. You agreed. He approached you and it escalated. You want me to sit back and say nothing and wait until he hurts you again and worse this time? Or tries something else?"

"I want you talk to him, in a roundabout way, and see if he listens. This came out of nowhere. It'll probably dissipate just as quickly. You know how he gets."

"This isn't right."

"Look, I promise you if something else happens, you can go fight him all you want. Right now though, I want you to keep calm about it. Miles, think about it."

"This crosses every line in the book. You know that right?"

"Would you be able to completely let go of him? All because of me?"

"It's not about you. It's about him. None of this is your fault."

"I'm just saying. Bros before hos."

"Don't ever say that to me again."

"I'm kidding. Honestly, this is just one more sign that we need to try harder to rein him in."

"Nora,"

"I'll be angrier if you confront him. I swear I will. Let it go. If he ever did serious harm to me, I would tell you immediately but this... this is stupid. He needs you right now."

"No."

"I'm the one who had this happened to them. If I'm not ready to fight over it, then you can't be."

"That's not fair."

"Miles, _please_."

"Damn it," he rubbed the side of his face, then stared at her. Once again, he brushed his hand over her cheek. "I'll talk to him but next time this happens, that's it. And if I find out something happened and you kept it from me again, that'll make me angrier too."

"Fair enough. You know, you talk a good game but the way you agreed just then proves you're not willing to go all the way on this. That's fine. It's not something to be ashamed of. I don't blame you. There have been plenty of cases where people are angry over what a loved one has done but that can't diminish-"

"I'm not doing this because of him. I'm doing this because of you and I'm trusting you." he swept his eyes over her, then turned to the door, and opened it.

"Where are you going?"

"Downstairs for a drink." he shut the door quietly behind him and she heard his footsteps fade down the hallway. She collapsed against the side of the dresser and hung her head. At least he knew partially what had gone down. A part of her was relieved and ecstatic that he had reacted in such a way. She would be able to tell him the rest, she knew that, and knew he would do whatever it took to keep her safe. Yet even if he was willing to shun Bass, she wasn't willing to be the catalyst for that. _You know he'll regret it later. He'll resent you for it too. _


	6. Chapter 6

"Dad?"

Alex's call made Miles pause at the top of the stairs. He slowly turned and walked back to the partially opened doorway, then poked his head into the room. His son was burrowed under his blanket, which was pulled up to almost his nose. The small lamp on top of the dresser acted as a night light so that a soft glow illuminated the room. Their eyes met and he frowned slightly upon seeing Alex wide awake.

"You were supposed to be asleep hours ago. What are you still doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep." he threw the blanket back and sat up, shoulders hunched. There was a furrowed expression on his face as Miles walked further into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "I-I was- I don't know."

He ended with a sigh, fiddling with his hands. The gesture caught his father's attention and Miles frowned further as he scanned the bed.

"Where's Ollie?" the toy had been Alex's companion since the first time they had met and was rarely out of sight come bed time. Now, it was nowhere to be found. The question resulted in a shrug but he noticed Alex's gaze shift towards the closet on the opposite side of the room. He turned slightly and saw the stuffed dog laying in a heap, as though it had been flung towards the door with very little care. "What is he doing over there?"

He stood up, ready to grab the toy, when Alex made a protesting noise.

"No, I-I don't want him." he muttered.

"Since when?"

"Since-" he broke off as he chewed on his lip. There was a sudden creak from the hallway, signaling one of the floorboards had been stepped on. They both glanced at the door but saw no one. Still, Miles was aware of Nora lingering just out of sight. "I just don't."

He wondered if someone had made a degrading comment about the toy, insinuating it was for babies or some garbage like that. In the years leading up to the blackout, he had hated the startling 'maturity' most kids had found. They hadn't acted like kids. If his son wanted to hang onto some raggedy dog, so be it. He'd rather Alex cling to a stuffed animal than suddenly turn to items beyond his maturity level. There was nothing wrong with him retaining his innocence, especially in today's society. He would see to it that that lasted as long as possible. Besides, it wasn't like he was dependent on the damn thing. It was a security object. Hell, he was pretty sure his own raggedy teddy bear was still hidden somewhere in his childhood home.

"Fine. That's your prerogative. Just seems like a sudden change, that's all. Still, he shouldn't be on the floor." he scooped the dog up and set it on the dresser, just to the side of the lamp. "Kind of looks a little lonely. Bet the bed is a lot more comfy."

"It's just a stupid toy."

"What makes you think that?"

"Cause it is. I don't want it." he frowned, ducking his head down. His fingers fumbled with the blanket, as though he was trying to find something to occupy his hands with.

"Seems to me like you do. Probably why you can't sleep, cause you're used to having him next to you." Miles replied quietly. He sat back down, this time next to Alex, and nudged him gently with his shoulder. "You know, it's okay to have something you like, even if it seems really dumb."

"I don't want to like him."

"Why?"

There was a moment of hesitation, then Alex whispered, "Cause it's from him."

The admission surprised Miles. They hadn't discussed Bass much- if at all. It had been as though Alex had forced him from his memory and wanted to act like Miles and Nora had been there from the beginning.

"That's okay too." he replied slowly.

"No it's not." he shook his head gently. "I shouldn't- I shouldn't-"

He sighed in frustration and possibly sadness as Miles observed him. Slowly, he wrapped his arm around his shoulders and pressed his head against his.

"I don't want you feeling guilty." he muttered. Over the top of Alex's head, he saw Nora move more into the doorway, a concerned frown etched in her face. He waved at her, a warning that he would deal with this, and saw her eyes spark dangerously. She wanted to be the one to comfort their son but frankly, he wasn't sure Alex would admit this to her. After a moment, she relented and her shoulders slumped, then she nodded and continued on to their bedroom.

"I'm not guilty."

"Just a little yeah. We'll have to work on your lying skills. Don't tell your mother. She won't be too happy with me."

"I just-" Alex hesitated, frowning deeply. Miles could tell he was trying to come up with some way to explain himself. It must have been difficult- being so young, yet having to deal with such a difficult topic. "When- when you and Mom took me, I heard things about him and I thought everyone was lying. I didn't know who to believe and I felt bad because I liked you and Mom and I knew uh- um- R-Rachel, she didn't like that. She would say things and so did Uncle Jeremy and- and um- Bass, about how you and Mom were lying and you really didn't care but I didn't believe that. I don't know. I just... I trusted you. When I um- when I got back to him, I saw how mean he was to Mom and I didn't like that. He lied to me. A lot. I realized he did do things everyone said and you never did anything they said. But, I still-"

He scratched the side of his head, looking fully ashamed of himself.

"Dad,"

"It's okay."

"I don't want you to get mad."

"That would never happen."

"It's really confusing and I know I shouldn't like him or her and I'm sorry."

"Alex, I wouldn't expect anything less from you. You don't have to be sorry. They were a part of your life for a long time."

"But it's wrong!"

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

"I know you and Mom would get mad."

"We wouldn't get mad."

"She would. I know she gets sad. I don't want her to know."

"Sad and mad are two different things."

"Doesn't matter."

"It kind of does." Miles put his elbow on his thigh and leaned his head against his hand. He didn't have the answers, wasn't even really sure if there were any. If he could, he would erase the past seven years of their lives but he couldn't and he had to accept that Bass and Rachel had played a part in Alex's life, as infuriating and ridiculous as it was.

"They're bad people."

"Yes," he exhaled a slow sigh, trying to find some politically correct way around all of this, "but they weren't bad to you."

"They took me. I'm... I'm... I'm _mad_." Alex said, with a tone that made it seem as though this was a sudden realization. He lifted his head to meet Miles's gaze. "I'm mad."

"You have a right to be."

"But then I'm not."

"I know. Unfortunately, you had to see two sides of someone you thought you knew." he scratched the side of his jaw. He didn't know what to say without insinuating his life had been a total lie. "Still, as odd as this sounds, it doesn't diminish how they cared for you."

"But it was just a lie so it didn't mean anything anyway." he replied. That stopped Miles from responding as he stared with surprise and felt slightly impressed. Clearly, Alex wasn't as naïve as he tried to make him out to be. "So that's why I don't get why I still think about them."

"It'll get easier as time goes on. I hate to say it but you're never going to be able to completely get rid of them. Eventually, you're going to find something that reminds you of them, even if you're trying not to. Were you happy?"

"I think so. I don't know."

"Pretend you don't know what you know now. Were you happy?"

"Yes." he whispered, almost as though he didn't want to admit it.

"Then that's all that matters. I don't ever want you thinking that you need to forget those years or not want to remember. It's still a part of you. Could things have been better? Yeah, definitely. But they could have been a lot worse too and they weren't. You just... you need to accept things and move on. You can't change the past. You need to... embrace everything. That's what makes us who we are, even if we'd rather not dwell on bad experiences. I know from experience."

"It hurts."

"I know buddy. It's confusing and you want answers and your mom and I don't have some of them." Miles slipped his arm over Alex's shoulder again and pulled him in close. "I think the best thing, even if it's not the easiest, is to focus on what's going on now."

"I do love you." he mumbled. "I don't want you to think I don't."

"I know you do. Don't worry about that. I understand how you're feeling. I'm not surprised in the least. I don't want you bottling this up inside you. Talk to us. We told you that. We're going to listen."

"Mom will get sad."

"It may be difficult to hear but we'll handle it. We take care of you, not the other way around." he said quietly. He felt Alex turn his face against his shoulder and rub his cheek along his shirt, wiping off a stray, silent tear. "I love you kid. Don't ever think otherwise or think you could do something to change that. I'm not going anywhere and I promise that you can always trust me and count on me. Alright?"

The response was a simple nod but it was enough for Miles to give a nod of his own and pull away.

"Alright. I want you to go to sleep so back under the covers, eyes shut, all that good stuff."

"Can- do you think we could read another chapter?" he asked meekly as he fell back against the pillows. Miles smirked as he grabbed the book off the night stand but said,

"I get it. This was all a rouse. One chapter and that's it. Got it?"

"Okay."

* * *

Nora woke up the next morning alone and slightly confused until she remembered Miles had been speaking with Alex when she had gone to bed. She gave a small smile as she climbed out of bed and wandered down the hall to the other bedroom. The smile widened as she stood in the doorway and observed them. Alex was under his blanket but curled against Miles's side with an arm throw over his leg. Miles was propped up against the headboard, a hand over Alex's back, and his head sagged to the side. The book- a battered copy of _The Prisoner of Azkaban- _was propped on his leg with the spine facing up, as though he had paused momentarily and never picked it back up.

She knew he had to be stiff and would undoubtedly complain once he was awake. Yet the sight of them together was too much for her to ruin. She stepped quietly into the room, grabbed the throw blanket off the chest at the foot of the bed, and placed it over Miles. She ran a hand softly over Alex's hair, then leaned in, and kissed Miles's forehead gently. He stirred, turned his head, and opened his eyes partially.

"Go back to sleep." she whispered. He moved his eyebrows slightly, which she took as a sign of acknowledgment, and shut his eyes once more. He shifted his posture, rolling more towards their son, and threw his other arm around him in a protective hold. The novel slipped off his leg and she picked it up, folded the page, then set it on the night stand. She took one last glance at them, then turned the light off, and slipped out of the room.

It was later in the morning when he finally woke up and joined her in the kitchen. As far as she knew, Charlie and Jason were still asleep, as was Alex.

"You're a sucker, you know that?" she smiled. "How many chapters did he weasel out of you last night?"

"Well, we did two. He supposedly fell asleep, then when I walked by, we had a nice discussion, and I think I did another two before I fell asleep in the third." he replied, yawning loudly. "My neck is killing me."

"I could imagine." she set down the bowl she was cleaning, then walked behind the chair he was sitting in. She laid one hand against the back of his neck and began to rub gently, eliciting a quiet groan from him.

"It wasn't a hint."

"No but you earned it."

"What did I do?"

"Just by being you. Though, finding you and him cuddling this morning was a nice touch."

"We weren't cuddling."

"What do you call it then?"

"... manly sleeping."

"That was weak." she laughed, leaning over his shoulder to kiss him. "I love you."

"Thanks."

"I'm serious. I love watching you with him. I love that you stepped up last night and did the comforting."

"As much as it killed you." he smirked.

"Yeah," she nodded with a smile of her own.

"How much did you hear?"

"Not much." she admitted. He quickly filled her in on what Alex had confided in him, then waited as she digested the information. Finally, she said quietly, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"I don't think so."

"I kind of thought it was odd how quickly he took to us the second time around."

"Yeah, I thought so too."

"I guess he has been struggling. I mean, he has Bass and that's life for him. Then we find him and tell him these things and he's forced to decide whether it's true or not. He can't imagine that Bass could be who he's hearing about. Just when he's starting to get comfortable with us, they take him back to Philly. Now he's even more confused because he's hearing _another _side to the story but he can't imagine that either because he's been with us and seen how much we care about him."

"I think seeing you captive in Philly was the catalyst. He was opened up to something he had never witnessed and even that young, he realized this person he thought he knew was a complete stranger."

"I would imagine that's why he was immediately so clingy with us. He's trying to keep a grasp on the only thing he understands now." she smiled a little- somewhat sadly. "I don't want to disappoint him."

"Funny, he says the same thing about you."

"What?"

"He worries about you. He thinks if he tells you this, it's going to upset you. He doesn't want to think about Bass or Rachel but he can't help it. He feels guilty, like we're going to be mad that he feels conflicted. The thing is, I don't think he fully understands it himself. All he knows is he had a family, they turned out to be bad, but they were still his family. He's upset with them and worst of all is he's questioning if any of it was real. As easy as it is to say let it go and realize what he has now and see that we're doing everything we can for him, there is this part of him that's theirs and he feels... neglected, I guess."

"I wish we could pretend it didn't happen."

"But we can't."

"I know that. I don't want him to think he needs to watch himself around me. He can come to me for anything."

"I told him that. I think he still sees it as all of us feuding and doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings."

"He shouldn't have to worry about that. He's just a kid. He shouldn't even realize what is going on." she muttered. The oven beeped, causing her to stand up and him to twist in his seat.

"What did you make?"

"Brownies for the party."

"Party?" he frowned deeply in confusion, then went blank faced. "Oh shit, that's today."

"Mhmm. So everyone better get up soon and get ready because she said to be there by twelve-thirty. I'd rather not be the first or the last people to arrive. That would just be awkward." she moved through the kitchen stiffly and mechanically, making him stand up and grab her gently.

"Nora, things are going to figure themselves out. It may feel like it's been forever around here but he needs time to adjust, _really _adjust. He can pretend all he wants but there are a lot of unresolved issues that we need to deal with."

"I know. I know that. It's just- things shouldn't be this way. He shouldn't have to deal with this. We shouldn't be second guessing ourselves."

"No, they shouldn't. But they are and we have to fight through it. All we can do is what we have been doing."

"And when does it stop? When do we finally get to say we're a family and he accepts that?"

"He does accept that. He's more than willing to. I think that's something that is bothering him because he understands that. He knows who we are, he loves us. We are a family. He wants it but this is holding him back. He doesn't want to seem ungrateful, like he's busy worrying over them when he has us."

"I get so angry when I think about all of this. Because you're right, we can't pretend like Bass didn't exist and this didn't happen. I just can't- I don't know." she shook her head, tugging on her ponytail gently in frustration. "We are standing here, trying to put these pieces back together again, and I'm terrified that we are going to screw it up, like we're going to do something that upsets him or things aren't going to be okay. It's not-"

"Morning," Alex yawned loudly as he stumbled into the kitchen. It seemed from his lack of reaction that he was unaware of the conversation they were having. He yawned again, then petted Stitch gently as he sat at the table.

"Hey sweetheart." she plastered a fake smile onto her face as Miles leaned in and kissed her forehead gently. "What do you want for breakfast?"


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you... ready... to... uh, huh." Miles trailed off and fell against the doorway as he entered their bedroom. Nora glanced away from the mirror and caught the beginning of his grin forming.

"What?"

"Nothing. You look nice."

She raised an eyebrow and looked down at her outfit for the day. It was relatively new, or at least new for her since leaving the Tower. She glanced up at him once more, then back down at herself. It wasn't anything particularly spectacular- just a simple, black v-neck tee, a light blue skirt that fell around her knees, and a pair of black flats.

"Nice." she repeated, smirking to herself a little. Even if she didn't think better praise was warranted, she could still tease him for it. She continued to brush her hair, then pulled a small chunk together to form a ponytail while leaving the rest hanging around her shoulders.

"It's just... odd."

"You've seen me in a dress or a skirt before."

"Not recently."

"Well, then I would think I look better than just _nice, _don't you?" she retorted, setting the brush onto the dresser. He smirked as he walked forward and lingered in front of her.

"Beautiful. Gorgeous. Pretty. Hot. Take your pick."

"You have such a way with words. It's amazing to think you ever managed to sweep me off my feet."

"I don't think I did. You kind of just pushed and shoved your way in."

"Ha ha." she smirked right back at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Ready to go?"

He made a face at that, shrugging, "Are we seriously doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Socializing?"

"Wasn't this part of your master plan to move to a small town with a picket fence?"

"We don't have a picket fence."

"Nuances."

"And I made _suggestions_. Nowhere in there did I suggest making friends. Or, at least I wouldn't make friends."

"Oh. My mistake. Well, unless you want to become a hermit and move to the first deserted place we find, we're going to have to socialize."

"A hello here and there is fine. But... what is this even- barbecuing? Really?"

"We're going to, hopefully, be here a while. It would be nice to be on good terms with some people."

"Let's be real though. What are _we _going to have in common with these people? The General and the Bounty Hunter."

She hesitated, caught off guard by the titles she had heard Bass use to refer to them as well. Then she smiled faintly, saying, "Like I've told you a million times before, there's more to us than that. I'll... I don't know. You can work in a bar. You know about that right?"

"True."

"Then, end of story." she rubbed the back of his neck gently, smile fading. "I know it's the last thing you want but can you at least fake it? Alex is just as socially awkward as you are and it took a lot of poking and prodding to get him to even make eye contact with another kid the day at the park. If he sees you engaging with others, I'm sure he'll be more receptive to the idea. He looks up to you."

"That's just evil. It's too soon in all of this to have you using him against me."

"Babe,"

"You do look beautiful," he murmured, suddenly switching tactics. He leaned down close, noses brushing together. She sighed quietly, fighting the grin that was threatening to form.

"That's not going to work." she replied. Then, she let out a soft gasp as he squeezed her butt gently. "Neither is that."

"You sure? We could send the kids in our place. Lock the doors behind them. Just me and you all day."

"Tempting but Sandy threatened to drag us over herself. Seeing as all the moms already think you're hot, I don't want to give them more evidence by having her catch a glimpse of you naked." she responded with a squeeze of her own, which only made him smirk wickedly. "Because I completely believe she would blab it all over town and then they'd come for you. I'd have to protect your honor and all that. Besides, I don't like sharing."

"They do think I'm hot, don't they?"

"Judging by their reactions last week, I would say so. Did that give you an ego boost? Are you more willing to face the masses now?"

"As long as they aren't foaming at the mouth or anything." he paused, all teasing now aside, "Seriously though, you know this is going to be a shit show don't you?"

"We'll see."

"What do I get for being right?"

"If it is as awful as you're expecting, I won't make you do this ever again."

"Fair enough."

"Don't get your hopes up though."

"I would say the same to you as well."

* * *

"I feel like there should be ominous music playing." Miles muttered as they waited on the Wilsons' doorstep. Nora shot him a look while Alex frowned and asked,

"What's ominous?"

"Ominous. Bad, foreboding. Go back and never return."

"Stop it." Nora hissed, hearing footsteps coming from inside the house. "Remember- be polite, nice, _friendly_. Don't cause trouble. Any of you."

"Technically, we shouldn't even be here. She doesn't know we exist." Charlie piped up from behind.

"Yes she does and everyone was invited. A few hours of this is not going to kill any of you." Nora turned her gaze back to Miles and tilted her head towards Alex between them. "Remember what I said."

He glanced down, then gritted his teeth, and gave a slight nod of understanding as the door opened in front of them. Sandy greeted them with a wide, cheerful smile.

"Hey! Well, this is a surprise!" she giggled softly. It made them all pause, then she added, "I thought I'd have to come get you myself!"

"Oh. Right," Nora forced a laugh, "no, no, we made it here all on our own."

"Great. Come on in. Oh you made brownies! That's so nice. Everyone is out back. We were just talking about you."

"That's not creepy at all." Miles muttered. It appeared only Nora heard him as she grabbed his hand and dug her nails in as one last warning. Sandy was already leading them down the hallway, talking about who had already arrived but not to worry, they weren't the last ones, there were still plenty of people coming.

Not even five minutes and it was already overwhelming. The rate at which she was talking was almost impossible to keep up with. They stepped out onto a deck with several women- the ones from the park, Nora realized- sitting at a table. Beyond that was a large backyard with another table, a swing set, and various people mulling about.

"So," Jason came to a stop just behind Miles and leaned forward so he could speak quietly in his ear, "what do I get out of this?"

The older man turned his head with a furrowed gaze, saying, "_I'm _not getting anything out of this. What makes you think _you _will?"

"True. Would anyone really notice if we- we being, Charlie and myself- disappeared? I mean, we're both good at sneaking around. We could slip out and be gone in a second."

"Yes. Her." Miles gave a rather emphatic point at his wife, who was currently nodding eagerly but had the dazed expression of someone who was completely lost. "And unless you feel like getting castrated in front of everyone today, I suggest you grab a beer and sit down because that's my only advice and the only thing I'll be doing."

They stared at each other for a moment before Jason let out a quiet chuckle, making Miles sigh with irritation. They may have reached a common ground and on most days Miles tolerated him but he was still a pain in the ass and he still didn't understand how he had taken in Tom Neville's son like a little lost puppy.

"What is so funny?"

"She would do that, wouldn't she?"

"I wouldn't put it past her."

"And you being a- uh, you know, _you_," the insinuation implied was 'you commanded thousands of people', "are scared of her."

Jason finished with a snicker causing Miles to turn completely with a slight smirk on his face.

"Alright, let's correct that assumption of yours. I'm not _scared _of her. I respect her and am fully aware of what she's capable of doing. When you get to be in a grown-up relationship, you learn to make sacrifices for each other. This is a sacrifice because I know she wants it. I also know when to keep my mouth shut- most of the time- so when something, as ridiculous as this, but obviously important to her happens, I'm going to suffer in silence."

"You haven't exactly been silent about your aversion to this outing."

"Yeah, well, now that we're here I will be." he started to walk forward to join Nora again, then paused and added, "And you should talk. You've been 'officially' with Charlie two and a half months or something? She's got you whipped. You're worse than I was. At least mine was a slow progression over time."

Jason opened his mouth to respond to the retort but closed it as he struggled to defend himself. Miles looked rather pleased with himself and tilted his head in a '_got ya, you're not allowed to criticize me'_ way.

"I'm not whipped."

"Keep telling yourself that kid. Again," he gestured between himself and Nora, "I've spent a decade of my life with this woman. You've had two months. I think I'm considered the expert in this area."

"What are you an expert in?" Nora turned and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"You."

"Ha, yeah, keep telling yourself that."

"I feel pretty confident. So, did you catch everyone's names, blood types, and family trees? I think there's going to be a quiz later on." he smirked down at her and she smiled faintly. There was a gleam in her eye that said _you're right but I'm not going to admit it out loud. This is bad. You're right. _"Problems?"

"Now, why are you just standing here whispering with each other?" Sandy suddenly appeared once more and tugged on Nora's arm gently. "I'm sure you get sick of seeing him. You need girl time."

In what seemed to be only a few short seconds, Nora and Charlie were seated at the table on the deck while Miles and Jason had been shoved down the stairs to where several men were huddled around a grill. Alex stood in the center of the deck, looking as though he were lost at sea, and turned his gaze from his mother to his father several times. He slowly crept towards Nora's side and leaned against her, face pressed shyly into her shoulder. This drew the attention of the other women, especially Sandy, who began to chide him gently.

"Oh you don't want to hang around here. Go play with the kids." she smiled widely. Alex only curled further into Nora, who smiled slightly and put her hand on the back of his head, then kissed his forehead gently.

"He just needs a few minutes. It's, uh, been a while since he's had some companions his own age. We've been out of the way." it wasn't a complete lie. They had asked about how life was for Alex in Philly. He had a few, select kids that were allowed to visit every so often. Nora had no doubt they had been handpicked by Bass and every visit had been a controlled setting. Those weren't friends. They were puppets, tooled to do and say the right things.

"You shouldn't coddle him." one woman muttered, taking a long sip of her drink. "Only going to screw him up."

"Angie," another hissed. "You can't say things like that."

"Oh please." she rolled her eyes, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Matthew was exactly the same way. John and I didn't tolerate that and now he's perfect and fine. It won't traumatize him. In fact, it's just what he needs."

"I'm sorry, have we met?" Nora asked. Her annoyance had built up rather quickly. She was defensive that someone she didn't know would attack her mothering skills. She was a little reluctant to admit it was a sore topic for her. Typically, she was confident in herself but anything to do with Alex was nerve wracking. She was ready to fight at a moment's notice when it came to him. When she added in the fact that people were talking _about _her and not _to _her, it only made the conversation more maddening.

"Angie Callahan."

"Well, I appreciate the concern but I think I've got it under control."

The woman, seated directly across from her, arched a finely plucked brow and was silent for a moment. The other women assembled were silent as well, as though they were holding their breath and waiting for Hell to open up below them. Nora got the feeling that people didn't talk back to Angie very often.

"Now, I think that's enough." Sandy said, letting out a small, nervous laugh. "No need to turn us all against each other so quickly. We're all friends. We need each other. Otherwise we'd go crazy."

A few of the others laughed as well and Charlie glanced sideways at Nora, who gave a tight smile. Her hand migrated from Alex's head to his back and squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. She felt him tensing up, knew what was coming. He hated conflict, especially when he thought he was the cause of it.

"You're okay." she mumbled in his ear, causing him to lift his head slightly. Her smile softened as he met his gaze and he gave a weak one in response. "Alright?"

She swiped his cheek softly with her other hand as he nodded and kissed the tip of his nose.

"Can I have a brownie?" he whispered.

"Yeah. Go ahead." at her okay, he reached forward and grabbed one off the plate, then returned to her side and began to chew slowly.

"You met everyone at the park the other day, except Angie. You all remember Evie. This is her niece Emily and her son Alex." Sandy interjected helpfully. Everyone mumbled hellos. "We already sent the men to the others."

She twisted in her seat, pointing out Miles and Jason individually, saying, "That's Rick and um, I didn't catch the other one's name."

"Nate." Charlie piped up. "His name is Nate."

"He looks a little old to be yours Evie." one, Gina-she remembered, teased.

"Oh no, he's not." Nora shook her head quickly, holding back a shudder at the thought of having a child so old. "He's Emily's boyfriend."

"Must be serious for him to have come to a new town with you." Christine commented with a smile. Charlie only smiled back, not sure exactly what to say. "Where are you from originally?"

"Indiana." she replied, prompting a nod from her aunt. That had been the place they had decided for their back story.

"He followed you halfway across the country?"

There was a chorus of 'awws' from the women, causing Charlie to blush deeply. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, a bashful smile on her face.

"How romantic. It's always nice to hear these stories." Sandy sighed dreamily, as if she was being told a fairy tale. "Are we going to be hearing wedding bells soon?"

"Uh, I don't- it, um, wow." Charlie let out an awkward laugh, glancing at Nora for help.

"They're still young." she offered up.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"Oh that's hardly a baby these days!" Rebecca exclaimed. "My sister just got married and she's twenty one. They're already expecting a baby."

"Rebecca, let's be honest. The wedding happened _because _of the baby." Angie muttered around the rim of her glass. The other woman reddened. "It's not the first time it's happened, especially with Gregory Jones. This just happens to be the first time someone managed to force him into a marriage because of it. It helps when your father is the mayor."

"Angie!" several of them hissed in exasperation. She rolled her eyes with a shrug and finished off her drink.

"Why pretend? That's the problem with people. Honesty seems to be a dying policy." her gaze flicked towards Nora, who remained straight faced. "So Indiana is far from California. What brought you out here?"

"Change of scenery. I visited out here a lot when I was younger and the kids have never been to a real beach. Figured it'd be as good a place as any."

"You picked a good place." Sandy commented.

"What do your parents think about all of this?" Angie asked, looking expectantly at Charlie, who immediately tensed. "I'm sure they miss you."

"Um, well, I wouldn't know about that because they're dead." she replied quietly. A murmur rippled through the women and a few of them gave Angie a look. She huffed defensively and waved her hand in a vague motion.

"I was just curious as to why a grown woman would be following her extended family around the country."

"Why don't you get yourself another drink?" Kate suggested. Angie turned her glare to her but stood up from the table, then disappeared into the house. Immediately, apologies were thrown at Charlie, who managed to smile through it all.

"She _loves _to gossip. That's just Angie. She likes to cause trouble too. Obviously, she knew your situation wasn't exactly conventional but she feels like everyone's business is hers too." Sandy explained. "She means well though and she has had a few drinks already. Ignore her when she gets like this. That's what we do."

"Seriously though, if you have any secrets, make sure you keep them well hidden because she will find them. She's like a dog with a bone and the next thing you know, the whole town is talking about you." Gina added.

* * *

Later on in the afternoon, everyone was gathered around the tables in the yard and finishing up eating. It appeared to Nora that Miles and Jason were having a better time than she and Charlie were simply because of the mere fact that men weren't catty, gossipy bitches. Even Alex had relaxed enough that he was now playing on the swings with the other kids.

She picked morosely at her food, wondering when they had reverted to high school tactics. _Not like there's much else to do around here_. She tried to remember what it had been like back in Philadelphia. Julia had been like these women but they had managed to tolerate each other once Julia understood Nora wasn't going to take any of her shit and no matter how much she prodded, she wasn't going to learn one bit about the private life of Miles Matheson. Leah was a more sedated version of Sandy- peppy, friendly, helpful, but didn't gossip. They remained in their small circle, though Nora had been polite to any of the military wives she came across.

In the rebel camps, there had been no time for this. They were constantly striving towards a goal, always doing something, or running. They had been comrades, relying on each other to survive. The notion seemed ridiculous when there were more important things to be worrying about.

She was in the midst of wondering if Miles was right- that all they were good at was war and hunting, maybe this was how 'real' life was and she wasn't suited for it at all- when she felt his hand on her thigh. It startled her only because she had been lost in thought and not expecting it. She glanced at him but he wasn't looking at her. He didn't look at all like he currently had his hand up her skirt either. He was slumped in the seat next to her, eyes roaming around the area. They were sitting close enough to the table that their legs were hidden- no one had any idea what was going on- but still, it was very unlike him to do something like that. She looked at him again, saw the curve of his smirk beginning, and held back a sigh.

He used to not do this in public because he didn't want the attention and had an image to uphold. Now, he was bored and didn't give a shit what people thought. And the bastard thought he was sneaky enough to get away with it.

She knew she should tell him to stop. Anyone could have noticed. Alex could have come running up, needing something. She knew if someone acknowledged her, she was going to miss it and they were going to think she was strange or disinterested, which would make her seem rude.

Now, he was looking at her. She leaned over, turned her head so she could whisper in his ear. He turned his head as well, making it seem as though they were cheek to cheek. No one was behind them or on either side of them. No one could see when he lowered his head a little more to kiss the side of her neck, biting and sucking as well. Her hand had already gone to his wrist, ready to pull him off, but her fingers tightened involuntarily.

"Don't."

"Shh. They're so absorbed in themselves they won't realize."

"Yes they will."

"Not if you keep quiet. The risk is half the fun." he straightened up, meeting her eye with a wicked glint in his own. She stared him down- her silent _no, absolutely not_- but he trailed his fingers once again along the inside of her thigh. She could feel herself reacting to him, which was ridiculous because he was barely even touching her- just grazing the tips of his fingers over the same spot _over and over. _She shouldn't give in to him. Her hand went to his wrist again, intending to push him away, but her brain was conjuring up other images and she moved her leg a little further towards his, giving him more access, and she pulled his hand closer.

It wouldn't be the worst thing they had done, she tried to tell herself. Now that she thought about it, she remembered a dinner with Kelly Foster and her team of advisers when they had been in (failed) peace negotiations. Remembered Miles in the exact same position- to her left, the _kill me now _look in his eyes, fingers interested in other things than signing laws and treaties.

She bit the inside of her lip as his fingers toyed with the edge of her underwear. _So, so close. So, so wrong. _

"You said you were from Indiana O'Connell," a male voice jerked them out of their moment. Miles swiftly removed his hand as he turned to look at Sandy's husband at the head of the table. Nora slumped slightly, face pressed into her hand as she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. He was a terrible influence. _But talented and hard to resist,_ added the soft voice in her head.

"Ah, yeah, what about it?"

"Last time I checked, it was still part of the Republic. What do you think about all of this?" Eric asked. That sobered them both up immediately. Miles shifted in his seat, trying to come up with an acceptable answer.

"Don't know. Wasn't really involved. We were out of the ways."

"But you heard about Philly being wiped out. How Monroe is supposedly the one that did it."

"Ignored a lot of what was going on." he shrugged.

"Must have in order to come to California." another, John, commented. A round of chuckles was heard. Miles exchanged a glance with Nora as Charlie looked on confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked, leaning forward.

"Oh please. For years, California has been perpetrated as being full of savage heathens that will slaughter you the moment you cross the mountains. Republic expeditions that never returned to the East Coast. The truth of the matter was California was more advanced than the Republic was and instead of trying to take a leaf out of Affleck's book and fix the mess they made, Matheson and Monroe decided to use propaganda. There was a point where people were fleeing that area left and right for greener pastures. They created stories that they were safer in the Republic because everywhere else, there be monsters. In actuality, those few failed expeditions were because of bands of savages in the Wasteland, just on the California border." Eric explained. Miles scratched the side of his head and leaned forward to grab his beer off the table, making sure to not make eye contact with anyone.

"Anyway, it's about damn time someone burned that place to the ground. Even if it was Monroe himself." John added. "They say he left the city just days before the nukes dropped. Pretty convenient if you ask me."

"That's the way the Patriots want to make it seem at least."

"Patriots?" Charlie frowned again. The adults at the table, minus Miles, Nora, and Jason, all looked at her.

"Yeah. The US Government. Have you guys been living under a rock?" Angie asked. "I would think with all your traveling, you would have heard the news by now."

"Once the bombs hit Philly and Atlanta, the Government decided to make their grand entrance." Sandy explained. "They've been on the East Coast and there are reports they are in Texas now. They're making their way west, trying to repair the damage. They're looking for Monroe too. Foster is apparently dead."

"They won't get Carver and his men to hand over Texas." Miles muttered. _He _couldn't get them to hand over Texas. Some asshole draped in the stars and stripes definitely wasn't going to.

"I don't know. Depends on what they offer. Plains Nations and the Wasteland, those will fall into their hands like nothing."

"You know, I've heard they're offering a ton for Monroe. Going to make a public spectacle of him. Bounty hunters are everywhere, even out here." Sandy said.

"I wouldn't underestimate Monroe though." Eric tapped the edge of the table. "I wouldn't be shocked if he manages to get himself out of this somewhere."

"He'll probably go crawling back to Matheson, if the bastard is still alive."

"You know if he is, they're going to go after him as well. You're quick to give Monroe credit for the Republic. It was all Matheson. Things went to hell for them when he disappeared."

"Things went to hell before he disappeared."

"Ever wonder if Monroe had him killed? Got tired of sharing the limelight? Can't see someone disappearing into thin air. Especially in the Republic. Place sounded like a prison camp."

"He could. Those were his men. They got him out. I wouldn't be surprised if he's been laying low, gearing up for a fight."

"Well, if the rumors coming from out east were true, he was helping the rebellion _and _Georgia."

"Why would he want to wreck his own country?"

"Why do any of those crazy bastards do anything? I'm not some sociopath like they are. I have no idea what went down, what any of them did, or why they did it. I'm just speculating. Not that it matters now. Give it a few months, maybe a year, the United States will be completely back and the two of them will be hanging from the White House for all the world to see. They don't let war criminals like them go easy. They may negotiate with Affleck and Carver but the others don't stand a chance."

Miles, Nora, Charlie, and Jason all remained silent during this conversation. Nora's hand fell gently on Miles's thigh, causing him to glance over. She tried to remain as neutral as possible but he picked up on the concern in her gaze. He gave her hand a soft squeeze and kept his head down. As soon as the topic had been brought up, it was dropped, and they began to talk about a family that hadn't been able to attend the party.

* * *

"Sorry about today."

Nora glanced over her shoulder as Miles leaned against the bedroom door. She shrugged silently as she stepped out of the skirt and tugged the shirt over her head, then changed into a pair of pants and a loose fitting t-shirt.

"What are you sorry about? You didn't bring up sore topics or make Charlie feel uncomfortable or overwhelm Alex."

"I know. But I know you were looking forward to it and I don't- I don't know." he shrugged, shifting his weight around. "As much as I thought it would suck, I secretly hoped you would have a good time."

"It was good for the most part."

"They're an... odd bunch."

"Not odd. More like, self-absorbed and oblivious to others." she pulled the hair tie out of her hair, then retied it in a new ponytail. "You were right."

"I wasn't."

"You were. It's not a bad thing."

"Maybe it's not us. Maybe it's them."

"So we should start seeing other people?"

"Sure, if that's what you want." he replied, making her roll her eyes at him. "What?"

"It's just ridiculous. I'm trying to impress people and fit in. I feel like a teenager again. I feel like it was easier back then too. Have we been that far out of the loop for that long? I don't even know why I'm doing this!"

"No, I think we're a certain type of people and they're... not."

"But that's the thing. Maybe we're wrong."

"You want to be obnoxious, in your face, and gossip about everyone?"

"No but I don't want to be the bounty hunter either. I'm trying really hard to ditch that and every day I feel like she's forcing her way back in because there are so many times that I feel completely out of my zone now. I'm not used to it. It's all ridiculous because we go to do something and I'm the optimistic one, then it all goes to hell. I don't know." she shook her head, sighing deeply. "I don't know. I'm going to take the dog for a walk. I'll be back in a while."

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know. Probably just the beach. Why?"

"Just want to keep tabs on you."

"How sweet of you." she leaned up and kissed him quickly, then opened the door and disappeared down the hall. He remained standing there for a moment, before following silently to find Alex.


End file.
